Dumpster Trial Moved

Detectives investigating the murder of Anna Sherman, a 21-year-old Annandale woman whose abandoned corpse was found in a West End dumpster, have determined that the murder probably happened in Prince William County. As a result, the prosecution will be handled by the Prince William County commonwealth’s attorney.

“In a case where it is unclear where the murder happened, a case can be prosecuted where the body is found,” said Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney S. Randolph Sengel. “At some point, it became clear that the murder had taken place in Prince William County.”

Alexandria police officials were called to the Parcview Apartments on the morning of Feb. 10 after a resident at the complex found Sherman’s body in the apartment’s dumpster. Six detectives, a sergeant, a lieutenant and two crime-scene investigators worked double shifts before making an arrest on Feb. 12. After an interview conduced at the police headquarters on Mill Road, detectives charged Frederick Simon Ajlan, a 26-year-old Dumfries man, with first-degree murder. Police officials say that Ajlan lived in Alexandria until a week before the crime, when he moved to Dumfries.

“It’s fair to characterize the relationship between these two individuals as a romantic one,” said Lt. Jamie Bartlett, commander of the Alexandria Police Department’s Public Information Office.

Although he declined to comment on what kind of evidence proved that the crime happened in Prince William County, Sengel said that the case has been scheduled for an April 25 preliminary hearing in Manassas.